117 passengers aboard an Indonesian passenger plane are believed to be dead after the plane crashed in the northern city of Medan, northwest of Indonesia's capital Jakarta shortly after takeoff on Monday.

The crash apparently occurred in a residential district in the area, while local television showed images of flames spreading to homes and cars surrounding the scene.

According to director of operations at the Medan airport, Gusti Made Dhordy, the Boeing 737 experienced a "failed takeoff" according to <i>Bloomberg News</i>.

The disaster was the second such crash involving an airliner in Indonesia in less than a year. In December, a plane skidded off a runway in a rain storm in Java killing 30 people and injuring 60.